The Director General, National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna State, Prof. Musa Maitafsir, says the institute plans to introduce a mandatory one-year Teacher Internship Programme by January 2024.
Maitafsir disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when he addressed newsmen to mark the 2023 World Teachers’ Day.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the day has as its theme, ‘The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage.’
NAN also reports that the day which is held annually on October 5 since 1994, is observed to commemorate the adoption of 1996 ILO/UNESCO recommendation concerning the status of teachers.
The day also focuses on the rights, responsibilities and standards of teachers’ initial preparation and further education, recruitment and employment.
Expantiating on the planned internship programme, the DG said that it would be introduced in partnership with the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria.
He further stated that the programme was initiated in compliance with Section ‘C’ sub-section (1), page 21 of the National Teacher Education Policy (2014).
It states, ”After graduation from any teacher education programme, every new teacher shall be registered by the TRCN after at least one year of successful internship and mentoring to qualify for licence.”
Maitafsir said that the internship was a mandatory programme that is expected to last for a year for the holders of the Nigeria Certificate in Education, Bachelor of Education, Postgraduate Diploma in Education, Master of Education and Doctorate of Philosophy in education.
